We saw it coming for months. But we never quite thought it would go down this way.

A lot of “Sons of Anarchy” fans, maybe even most, believed that Tara Knowles wouldn’t survive the show’s two hour season finale Tuesday night. But who could have predicted that Gemma, not Jax, would deliver the fatal blows? And could have predicted such an inglorious — creator Kurt Sutter called it “pedestrian” — demise?

No, Tara did not die by gunshot, nor did she leave us during a frenetic car chase as she made her bold escape from Charming. She died with a carving utensil embedded in her head, and face down in a tub of dirty dishwater.

And all because of a horrible, stupid (ridiculous?) breakdown in communication. Damn you, Wayne Unser.

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And damn you, Gemma Teller, you horrible, psychotic shrew of a woman.

Even for a show that lives off brutal violence and stunning twists, this was a hellacious, shocking, gasp-inducing turn of events. Jax had finally started to own up to the error of his ways. He realized he still loved Tara and didn’t want her to take the hit for SAMCRO. And he wanted her alive to raise their kids while he paid for his sins behind bars.

“Just be a good mother,” he pleaded. “And save our boys.”

But Gemma didn’t get the memo. In fact, Wayne only alerted her to the fact that Jax was about to be arrested. And they both mistakenly assumed that Tara had ratted out the club to DA Patterson. Gemma, already shellshocked from an abrupt breakup with Nero, rushed over to Tara’s house and flew into a blind homicidal rage that, in the end, gave new meaning to the term, “stick a fork in it.”

As we stated, it wasn’t the ending we expected as the episode got under way with Jax’s introspective — and somewhat trite — journal ramblings. But as soon as Gemma took off in Unser’s truck, I had a sick feeling in my stomach that she was going to kill Tara, the woman she had been feuding with for years.

Of course, we can quibble (and I will) with some of the improbable plot contrivances and coincidences that allowed Gemma to pull off such a heinous act. Why, for example, wouldn’t Jax return home with Tara and the boys? Why wouldn’t Sheriff Eli (who was later gunned down by Juice) remain in the house with Tara? And why didn’t someone leave a phone message with Gemma to fill her in on what the hell was happening?

I also have a slight problem with the way Sutter described the killing during the show’s “Afterword” program. He said Gemma was “out of her mind” (OK, I can believe that), but that the act wasn’t premeditated. If that’s the case, why did she pull a fast one on Unser to get his truck keys, then drive to the house and then hide out while Eli and Tara entered?

No matter how things unraveled, it all led to a heartbreaking final scene in which a tearful and trembling Jax tenderly cradled Tara’s bloody corpse in his arms and planted a farewell kiss on her lips. Just beautiful work by Charlie Hunnam.

Rest in peace, Tara Knowles. We know you had your haters, but we’ll miss you.

So what did you think of the finale, and of the uneven season as a whole? And how intrigued are you by plot possibilities put in place by Sutter and his collaborators? How will things play out between Jax and Gemma once he realizes she killed his wife? What does the future hold for Juice, Nero and poor Wayne Unser? Share your thoughts, please.